Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard, Mr. Inside, died this morning in Texas at the home of his daughter from pneumonia. With him goes another of America's Greatest Generation and it's last surviving Heisman Trophy winner. A 208 lb fullback, Blanchard (Mr. Inside) combined with Glenn Davis(Mr. Outside) to form the most potent offensive backfield in the history of football. Yes, you will hear about the 4 Horsemen of Notre Dame or the Pony Express of SMU. But Blanchard and Davis were the most feared running mates in all of football, ever. Running out of Coach Red Blaik's Winged T, Blanchard was the best player at West Point during WWII, a time when the service academies dominated college football. He was the first man to win the Heisman Trophy as a junior in 1945 (Davis won it the following year) During 3 years at West Point, Blanchard and Davis never lost a game, finishing their varsity seasons at 27-0-1.
And the Steel City Slant on this story? He was drafted in the first round of the 1946 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers but never played a down of professional football. Instead he transferred to the newly formed Air Force and served as a fighter pilot in both Korea and Viet Nam.
Another great American gone. May he rest in peace.
2 comments:
Better than Bettis and Parker???? lol
Better than Bettis and Parker, Harris and Bleier, Csonka and Kiick, Taylor and Horuning, Dickerson and James, you name it. They won two national titles and 2 Heisman trophies in 3 years and the '45 team averaged 8 yards per offensive play! And Blanchard played linebacker on defense too.
If any team dominated a sport today like Army did in 1944-46, ESPN would open a whole new channel just to cover them.
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